Branden Albert will stay away until he knows the Chiefs’ plans

Chiefs offensive tackle Branden Albert has signed his one-year franchise tender, but that doesn’t mean he’s rarin’ to go play in Kansas City this year for his guaranteed salary of $9.828 million.

Albert was the only player on the roster who skipped the first day of voluntary workouts on Monday, and on Tuesday Albert said he won’t be with the Chiefs any time soon. That’s because, Albert says, he doesn’t want to bother working out with the Chiefs if the Chiefs plan to trade him.

Albert said he would rather get a long-term commitment from the Chiefs in the form of a multi-year contract, and he doesn’t like the uncertainty that goes along with having a one-year deal and knowing the Chiefs might trade him. He also doesn’t like the idea that the Chiefs might draft a left tackle and tell Albert to play right tackle.

“If I’m going to be there, if I’m going to be traded, if I’m going to be there long term, everything right now is uncertain,” Albert said.

Ultimately, Albert is under contract, and the Chiefs can fine him if he skips any mandatory offseason work. Albert says he hasn’t thought about what he’ll do when that time comes. But during voluntary workouts, Albert won’t be in Kansas City.

This isn’t the way to get a long term deal. And the Chiefs are in complete rebuilding mode, so Albert has zero leverage. Headaches are shipped out or cut when you cause trouble this early in a new regime. He needs to just shut up, show up, and switch positions. I’m getting pretty tired of OL refusing to switch out of the LT spot. You already get paid millions. Suck it up.

Narrowed that 1st overall pick down to 4 huh? More like 2 – Joeckel or Fisher.

No one believes you’ll take Geno & no one is stupid enough to trade down to #1 so you can recoup the 2nd rounder you blew on that jabroni Alex Smith.

Andy Lombardi already showed your hand w/ the mishandling of Albert.

bryco9 says:Apr 2, 2013 10:49 AM

What a whinny little bitch, pro athletes need to grow up. He’s acting like a child, to bad someone can’t just slap him upside the head and tell him to get his ass back to work, but I forget pro sports isn’t the real world.

It’s not that he can’t play another spot on the line. LT’s get paid a significant amount more than any other line position, and he’ll be wanting a long term deal by the latest next year. I don’t blame him. He’s a left tackle and should be allowed to play at LT. Why would the Chiefs franchise him at LT money and then not play him there? That’s trapping the guy. I’d stay away too until that situation gets settled out.

I did that once. I stayed home because I wasn’t sure I was in the company’s plans.
Turns out… I wasn’t.

greymares says:Apr 2, 2013 11:01 AM

Lie to this piece of crap tell him what he wants to hear and do what ever you think is best. football is the ultimate team sport, no one succeeds as an individual so use him and discard him when you want, and do it proudly.

vaphinfan says:Apr 2, 2013 11:01 AM

What an idiot. 9 million this year and hes gonna pout about maybe having to play rt. Way to be a team player.

Which he wont know until he shows up for work and shows the team whether or not he can be trusted with a long term deal or if the solution is to draft a left tackle number 1 overall

bobby2478 says:Apr 2, 2013 11:29 AM

Wow, lots of negativity on here already this am.

Albert is LT, and LT is the premier OL position that commands drastically higher salary then RT. LT is the “blindside”. He’s always played LT, and wants to continue to play LT. He signed his 1 year tender, but after this year he will sign a long term deal with someone (Chiefs or someone else). Volunteering to play RT when the Chiefs prob don’t even want him long term only hurts him with his next contract. They’ll say “you played RT for the Chiefs so that’s all we’re going to pay you”. RT makes substantially less then LT, and since he’s never played RT before there’s a risk he won’t play so well at a new position, which would also hurt him with his next deal.

I understand the Chiefs, they need to make their intentions unclear so everyone thinks they’ll take anyone, and will trade up to #1 so the Chiefs can move back a few spots and get an extra draft pick. Chiefs are looking out for themselves, and Albert is looking out for himself. Neither is to blame, it just creates an awkward situation is all.

slobmykolb says:Apr 2, 2013 11:32 AM

These guys amaze me! They get paid millions and look for any excuse to not go to work! Whether voluntary or not they all need to be there if they really want a championship!

ranger764 says:Apr 2, 2013 11:37 AM

Why does everyone always jump on a player every time they look out for their best interests? The teams do it all the time. They cut players and ask them to take pay cuts as well. So if a player looks out for their best interest they are selfish and greedy (even thought they make a very small percentage compared to what these teams and owners are worth). I’ve never understood that. Some guys are selfish. But I don’t think that’s the case here. If you’ve ever played on the line, you know you prefer one side to the next. So not only do LT’s make more money then RT’s, but he may just be a better LT and a move to the right side may hurt his play and in turn hurt his value when he does go for the long term deal next year.

As a die hard Chiefs fan, I have stuck for B. Albert all off season. I would like to see the Chiefs keep him long term, but his Poor and Selfish Attitude is starting to wear thin. D. Bowe took his franchise tag last year like a man and ended up with a $50+ Million contract. The same could happen for You B. Albert.

Smart move Albert. Seriously!! You have been francised because you play LT, not RT. When was the last time you seen a RT get franchised? The answer is they do not. LT’s make more money than RT’s, which is why Albert prefers to remain at LT so that next year when he eye’s free agency, teams will not low ball him by claiming he is now a RT. For those who do not see the long term impact this can have for Albert’s future compensation are blind. Albert should stay away and let KC draft their LT and stay out until traded. His agent is telling him correctly.

The Rams are having that problem too. Rodger Saffold is throwing a fit over moving to RT. your making millions switch positions dummy! What happened to the team first mentality of these athletes? Nothing but Selfish, greedy morons. Half these goofs are injured all the time anyways

kcflake says:
Apr 2, 2013 11:39 AM
As a die hard Chiefs fan, I have stuck for B. Albert all off season. I would like to see the Chiefs keep him long term, but his Poor and Selfish Attitude is starting to wear thin. D. Bowe took his franchise tag last year like a man and ended up with a $50+ Million contract. The same could happen for You B. Albert.

The two situation are not the same. First of all Bowe is considered a #1 WR so he was going to get market premium. If KC would have given Albert a long term deal, he may not be as disgruntled. But they did not. They gave him a one year deal (franchise). Which means next year his value will be diminished because he now plays RT. The only risk Bowe had by playing under his franchise tag was getting hurt. Albert also has that burden plus knowing he will be rebranded as a RT, which do not make as much as LT’s.

Albert is exactly right. NFL players are independent contractors, and have a right to know what they will be doing for their services. As lay employees in a workforce, most of us don’t sign contracts, therefore we don’t negotiate our worth as much. If they love him to right tackle, his open market worth plummets. Stand your ground dude. It’s the Chiefs trying to get over on you and the viewing fans. He would be a MUCH better option than a rookie tackle, but the Chiefs are thinking down the road. Why not draft the LT in the draft nd move him to RT? Easier learning curve in the league anyway.

bobby2478 says:Apr 2, 2013 12:16 PM

…your making millions switch positions dummy! What happened to the team first mentality of these athletes? Nothing but Selfish, greedy morons. Half these goofs are injured all the time anyways

==================================

What if your boss comes to you and wants you to change your job title. You were manager, now you are an assistant. You have the same responsibilities, just your title has changed essentially. They fire you later, and when you go looking for a new job prospective employers will see your last position was for an assistant, not a manager, and they’ll pay you as an assistant (for less money).

You’d never sign up for that deal, your boss would be taking advantage of you. Albert is right to stand up for himself, if he doesn’t no one else will.

The Chiefs aren’t wrong in what they’re doing, and neither is Albert. They each have their own interests to look out for, and those interests won’t always align.

Yeah, BA, MGMT will tell you that they plan on trading you. Hello, MGMT is trying to get out of the first, and maybe keep you. If they pick Joeckel, you’ll either be asked to move to guard or RT, or be traded. Sorry that it’s come to that, but the team is trying to cover their bases.

For almost $10 million, you play where they tell you to play…Albert really has no choice but to show up and do what the Chiefs want him to do

arrowdead says:Apr 2, 2013 12:47 PM

Announcing this hurts his cause bc it makes it harder for kc to get what they want aka actually make antrade which means Albert will be in limbo even longer. It’s called critical thinkin albert come on. Dorsey will only trade u if he get deal he wants and u r causing him to lose leverage.

CKL says:Apr 2, 2013 1:03 PM

To everyone talking about the difference between RT & LT, it’s true they are paid differently. But being able to play RT and LT is not an easy thing to do. Being more versatile might help the guy in the open market also.

What if your boss comes to you and wants you to change your job title. You were manager, now you are an assistant. You have the same responsibilities, just your title has changed essentially. They fire you later, and when you go looking for a new job prospective employers will see your last position was for an assistant, not a manager, and they’ll pay you as an assistant (for less money).

You’d never sign up for that deal, your boss would be taking advantage of you. Albert is right to stand up for himself, if he doesn’t no one else will.

The Chiefs aren’t wrong in what they’re doing, and neither is Albert. They each have their own interests to look out for, and those interests won’t always align.

—————————-

How do you in any way equate that scenario to what Albert would go through??? That is the most asinine statement I have ever seen.

Moving from LT to RT is in no way even remotely like going from manager to assistant. Even in your deluded mind, you cant honestly believe what you just said…

If he moves from LT to RT, and then goes to another team, that team knows for a fact he can still play LT well.

Fact is, you get your best 5 linemen on the field. And if someone has to move positions to make the best 5 work, so be it. If you are too selfish to change positions (even though you are making the same amount regardless, as there is no LT or RT franchise tender, just OT) then I dont want you on my team.

Well if I was making millions upon millions I wouldn’t care if they moved me to general laborer! Especially if my company needed me to “take one for the team” I’m tired of multi millionaires being cry babies. Give me a break dude

competitivecompetitioncompeter says:Apr 2, 2013 1:31 PM

Guys! Guys! Everybody calm down. It’s a team sport, you all need to pull together or Denver will run away with the 2-horse AFC West.

So, instead of hold-outs and ultimatums and forced trades, how about a compromise?

Albert moves to RT for one year. Rookie #1 pick, (who costs about 1/18th of the franchise tag) plays LT to see if he’s worth the 1st round pick. Alex Smith throws left-handed every other series so that BA can claim he still protected the QB’s blind side and gets to make $10 million next year instead of just $9.

Something some people are forgeting about here when comparing a “regular” person job to a football player job. BA will make almost $10 million for one year. I am in my lower 30’s with a wife and 2 kids and I could retire on that right now. Even after taxes and everything. If he invests the money and spends wisely he “could” live on the residuals for the rest of his life. So IMO if you make that kind of money for ONE YEAR, you do what they tell you.

Why would you plop the rookie at LT if you have Albert on the tag. The guy aint no Joe Thomas but he’s a top ten LT and that is why KC tagged him to begin with. You put the rook on the right side since KC cut the lip man Winston. The rook comes through you can then move him to left next year and tell Albert to walk. I doubt Alex Smith wants to see an oline with a rookie starting at LT, second year LG and RT, center who has had two NFL starts and a RG who sucks. That is what we’re looking at with no Albert.

Chiefs will draft Joeckel or Fisher to play on the right and Albert will play on the tag. Pretty simple stuff. The soap opera is just that same thing every year on some team or other. Bowe went through the same crap last year just didn’t go to the media about it like fat albert is.

I think the appropriate question here is “what did you think was going to happen when they found somebody who could do your job better than you?”

Albert should talk to the guy he’s going to be protecting about that, and then be glad his skill set is such that he’s still able to start — at a position that pays less than his current one, but more than his alternative one (ie backup).

The Chiefs sign him for 9.8 mil and “he’s not that good”. That, and other similar comments are just plain hilarious. (and stupid) If you took time to read what he said, not PFT, you would understand that he is also treating it like it is a business, his business. I doubt there is any way the Steelers could get him, but if he is a 9.9 mil tackle and thinks the way he talks, I would love to see him in Pgh.